John d. larkin biography

Frank described that visit as follows: "As we stood on the balcony, a small, handsome dark-eyed young man with brown side whiskers, and a very firm, white chin came running lightly up the steps John started to speak to me, but I was bashful and dodged back through the French doors, he following me around and around until it became a game, and finally reversing, he caught me and kissed me.

John and Frank were married on May 10, and finally John moved out of the Weller house. It was probably none too soon for other reasons. Mary Weller was becoming increasingly depressed and tensions had arisen between her and John. Also, the relationship between Jus and John was deteriorating. Weller had maintained a branch of the business in Lockport but decided that it must be closed.

He sent John to close it, necessitating his leaving his new wife behind. When he returned to Chicago, he found that not only had his wife returned to her family home miles away, but also Jus and Mary had also taken off with her, leaving instructions for John to take charge of the company in Chicago. He was extremely disappointed. By February, John had begun to seriously question Jus' judgment.

He learned that, unbeknownst to John, the company was losing money. Jus had not been keeping track of accounts as he should have been. Though Jus promised to be more attentive to business, John's confidence in him was irreversibly shaken. They negotiated an agreement whereby John would move east and establish his own soap business, so long as the marketing territory was fairly divided.

On March 4, , John and Frank's first child, Charles, was born. On March 13 the articles of dissolution of the Larkin and Weller partnership were signed. By April 9, , John had executed a lease of a sq. Frank's 19 year old brother, Elbert Hubbard, who had been a salesman for the partnership, moved to Buffalo to work for John. What happened to Jus after the break up with John?

He moved the business to Detroit but his business still failed: he blamed it on the success of the Larkin Soap Co.. He went to Florida for a time and then dropped out of sight. He died in Detroit on January 14, , alienated from Mary and also, it appears, from their two daughters who sought help for their mother from time to time from John. While Jus and Mary were certainly primary players in John's success as a mentally healthy, secure and confidant adult, both changed over time.

Mary was to become severely depressed and irrational, necessitating confinement. Levi, also, was never able to hold a job for long and wandered aimlessly though his life, also being psychiatrically hospitalized for a time. John's mother, Mary Ann, was a remarkable mother given her circumstances.. She cared for John's brother, William, was severely crippled and died in Larkin- Table of Contents.

He was only seven when his father died. His parents were English people; and his father, Levi H. Larkin, was the founder of the Clinton Iron Works. One of Mr. Larkin's first recollections is of the burning of the old Eagle tavern, November 14, , when he was but four years old. This hostelry stood on Main street, on the ground afterward occupied by the American hotel, where occurred the disastrous fire of At the time of the earlier fire the work of fighting the destroying element was entrusted to the volunteer fire department, of which Mr.

Larkin's father was a member; and the apparatus at their disposal was extremely limited. When it was discovered, therefore, that brands from the burning tavern had lodged in the belfry of the old court house on Washington street, the building seemed doomed to destruction, as no water could reach the spot. But Mr. Larkin's father succeeded in climbing the slippery shingles and smothering the fire with his coat, thus saving the building, which was then deemed a most important one.

In , Mr. Larkin's father, Levi, contracted pneumonia after fighting a particularly stubborn fire. He was exhausted from his efforts, and after a brief illness, he died at the age of 35, only three months after the birth of his youngest daughter. In , she purchased a lot in he recently opened Forest lawn Cemetery, and Levi's body was moved there.

Mary Ann was left a widow at the age of 33, with seven children to care for ranging in age from three months to thirteen years. Mary left 13 Clinton St. After attending the public schools of Buffalo in childhood, Mr. Larkin began business life at the age of twelve by working as a Western Union telegraph Company messenger. Then he worked for William H.

Woodward, a dealer in wholesale and retail millinery. He remained with him four years; and then, in , began work in the soap manufactory of Justus Weller , his sister Mary's husband. For the next eight years he worked for Mr. Weller in Buffalo, learning thoroughly the business. Early life [ edit ]. Larkin Soap Company [ edit ]. Buffalo Pottery [ edit ].

Legacy [ edit ]. See also [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. John D. Larkin, a Business Pioneer.

John d. larkin biography

Amherst, NY: D. ISBN Harvard Business History Review. JSTOR S2CID Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Retrieved 28 Dec The New York Times. February 16, Retrieved 22 October Larkin - Biography". Retrieved 31 August Larkin had acquired twelve years of experience in business. His ideas were advanced, and his coming to the Buffalo field marked a new departure in his branch of industry.

Larkin employed door-to-door salesmen, and later housewives and children to sell his products. He gave premiums such as handkerchiefs and towels with the purchase of his products. The Larkin Idea was implemented by doing away with all middlemen including the company's own sales force. In politics Mr. Larkin wass a Republican, but held liberal views on local issues.

Active in the charitable as well as the social life of the city, he was connected with several philanthropic institutions. He was a member of the Ellicott Club, the Country Club, the Manufacturers' Club, of which association he was elected the first President, serving for two terms, being reelected unanimously. He belonged to the Prospect Avenue Baptist Church.